Saudi Arabia's mine clearing teams decided to continue with their mission in Yemen despite the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Director General of the MASAM project Ousama Al-Gosaibi said he has offered on all foreign workers at the project the opportunity to leave. However, all 20 employees said they wanted to stay in Yemen and continue clearing mines despite the global outbreak while taking all necessary safety measures.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Algosaibi said that all the employees refused to leave and insisted to continue with their mission.

"We appreciate their stance," said Algosaibi.

He also stressed that work is still being carried on at the same pace in all Yemeni regions from Jawf to the west coast of the country, noting that the only major challenge is the lack of maps of the mines.

"We still rely on locals to lead us to places where mines were planted which is hindering our job," he added.

Since the beginning of the project, 159,805 landmines planted by the Houthi militias in Yemen have been dismantled, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The project is a continuation of the efforts exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by KSrelief, to clear the Yemeni lands of mines and unexploded ordnance.